JUVENTUS SEASON 2024-2025

[Socrates 8486]

[Socrates 8486]

[Socrates 8486]

Champions League | Juventus 2-1 PSV: Slight advantage after first leg

 

 

Juventus take a narrow lead with them into the second leg of the Champions League play-off thanks to Weston McKennie and Samuel Mbangula around Ivan Perisic’s temporary PSV Eindhoven equaliser.

 

These sides had already met in the league phase, with the Bianconeri winning here 3-1 on September 17, and the second leg of the play-off is on February 19. ............

 

Federico Gatti created the opening goal, as he battled down the right first to pull it back from the by-line, then to win it again and set up the McKennie right-foot scorcher into the roof of the net from the edge of the area. The USMNT midfielder had also scored when Juve beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 here in September 2024. ............

 

 

However, PSV Eindhoven equalised when Perisic sold Kelly a dummy to cut inside and drill hard and low with his left foot into the near bottom corner. Juve complained that there was a possible Lang handling offence in the build-up, but the VAR check considered it insufficient to disallow the goal.

 

Juve restored their advantage with another strong run down the right flank, this time from Francisco Conceicao whose low effort was parried with one glove at the near post by Benitez, only into the path of Mbangula to turn in the rebound from seven yards.

 

 

Juventus 2-1 PSV Eindhoven

McKennie 34 (J), Perisic 56 (P), Mbangula 82 (J)

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Read more -> https://football-italia.net/champions-league-juventus-2-1-psv-advantage/

[Socrates 8486]

Superb-sub Mbangula saves the day as Juventus beat PSV in playoff first leg

 

 

Juventus secured a 2-1 win against PSV in the first leg of the Champions League play-off this evening.

 

Juventus began as the better side, forcing Walter Benítez into making some important saves early on.

 

They had beaten PSV in an earlier game in the same competition this season and looked likely to do so again as the Dutch side struggled for control. ............

 

The Old Lady then earned a deserved lead through Weston McKennie, who rifled a volley home from the edge of the box, thanks to some fine work from Federico Gatti. ............

 

At the break, Juve were ahead, and Thiago Motta replaced the ineffective Kenan Yıldız with Samuel Mbangula at halftime. ............

 

PSV then drew level through Ivan Perišić as Juventus players protested for a handball in the build-up, but a VAR check never spotted it, and the goal was given. ............

 

 

Dušan Vlahović was also brought on, but it was Mbangula who scored the goal to make it 2-1.

 

PSV put in a fine effort and began to threaten the Bianconeri again as they searched for an equaliser, but Juve held on to win the game.

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Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/superb-sub-mbangula-saves-the-day-as-juventus-beat-psv-in-playoff-first-leg/

[Socrates 8486]

Player Ratings: Juventus 2-1 PSV – Clear MVP as Motta achieves milestone

 

 

Federico Gatti was the MOTM in Juventus’ 2-1 win over PSV in the first leg of the Champions League knockout playoff. ............

Juventus

Di Gregorio 5.5 – Perisic scored at the near post, which is not ideal for a goalkeeper, but it was a great attempt. A bit shaky when he had to come off his line.

Weah 6 –  ............

Gatti 7.5 – Huge credit to him for the first goal, which he inspired with a rare forward run. Very solid defensively as well. MOTM performance.

Veiga 7 – Pumped up the fans early in the game. Looked confident on the ball and one-v-one duels.

Kelly 4.5 – The Englishman had a slow start and struggled with physical duels, just like against Como on Friday. His stormy night continued in the second half as he turned his back to Perisic, who controlled the ball and scored from inside the box.

Locatelli 5.5 –  ............ (68′ Thuram 6).

Douglas Luiz 6.5 – The Brazilian starting over Koopmeiners was the big news of the day in Turin. He was the Bianconeri playmaker and completed 44 passes from 47 (94%).

Nico Gonzalez 5 –  ............ (55′ Conceiçao 7 – Crucial sprint down the right flank to inspire Juventus’ winner.).

McKennie 7 – Scored a rocket goal to give Juventus the lead. The American didn’t make many touches but ran all over the pitch. (68′ Koopmeiners 5.5).

Yildiz 5.5 – Didn’t have time to do much, but his first-half performance surely was below par. (46′ Mbangula 6.5 – The Belgian talent didn’t always make the right choice and didn’t help Kelly for the PSV goal, but he did score the winner for the Old Lady and it meant so much.)

Kolo Muani 5.5 – It’s the first time he doesn’t score for Juventus. It was not a great night as he tried to escape the PSV double-marking. (77′ Vlahovic 6).

Coach: Motta 6 – A much-needed win for the Old Lady, the third in a row across all competitions. It’s the first time this season. The Bianconeri remain vulnerable in defence, especially when they are forced to defend inside the box.

 

PSV Eindhoven: Benitez 6; Ledezma 5, Flamingo 6, Obispo 6, Mauro Junior 5.5; Saibari 5 (72′ Til 5.5), Schouten 5.5, Veerman 6.5; Perisic 7, L De Jong 6, Lang 6 (72′ Bakayoko 6). Coach: Bosz 5.5.

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Read more -> https://football-italia.net/player-ratings-juventus-psv-gatti-mvp-motta/

[Socrates 8486]

McKennie reveals what he was thinking during Juventus goal

 

 

Weston McKennie reveals what he was thinking when scoring the ferocious Champions League play-off strike for Juventus against PSV Eindhoven. ‘I assumed I’d hit someone in the box.’

 

It has been an inconsistent Champions League campaign for the Bianconeri, who already beat PSV Eindhoven here 3-1 in the opening league phase game back in September.

 

McKennie scored then too and broke through today on the half-volley from Federico Gatti’s assist, before ex-Inter winger Ivan Perisic drew level by turning Lloyd Kelly. ............

 

“It was a good goal, I think I scored better against Barcelona in 2020. I was really lucky!”.

 

“I was calm, because last week in training I scored lots of goals on all the training exercises, so I felt pretty confident, even if it doesn’t count to score there. It was a bit of luck because I assumed I’d hit someone in the box.

 

“The important thing isn’t scoring a goal or providing an assist, but helping the team to get the victory.” ............

 

 

“It was so important, because Juventus is a big club, a great team and we need to sacrifice everything. When we are up against a team with a lot of talent that plays well, we have to run hard, go into the tackle and leave everything on the pitch. That is what we did today and I think it showed, the way we pressed in attack, even Gatti was pushing forward to win the ball back many times. ............

 

“We always talk in the locker room, in training and during the match. When we score the first goal, we seem to relax and sit back, but the coach always tells us, do not change your attitude. Keep going forward, keep pressing, it is very important to score the second goal and carry on playing with confidence. We’ve got to do better in that area.

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Read more -> https://football-italia.net/mckennie-reveals-thinking-during-juventus-goal/

[Socrates 8486]

Mbangula: ‘I can do much better, I apologise for my performance’

 

 

Samuel Mbangula scored the Juventus winner to beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1, but could not bring himself to celebrate. ‘I know that I can do much better and I apologise for this performance.’

 

This result gives the Bianconeri a slender advantage going into the second leg of this Champions League play-off, which will be in Eindhoven on Wednesday February 19. ............

 

“It’s true that the victory was important today for our consistency in the competition, but the feeling I have is not particularly happy,” Mbangula told Sky Sport Italia.

 

“I scored a goal that let us win the game, but I am not happy with the way I played today. I know that I can do much better and I apologise for this performance.” ............

 

“When we concede a goal, we must continue playing the way we did before, as we had control of the game. I know that with the quality we have in this squad, we can score many more goals and win many more games.” ............

 

“I know it’s my first Champions League goal, but it is difficult for me to smile when I know that my performance was not good.”

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Read more -> https://football-italia.net/mbangula-i-can-do-much-better-i-apologise/

[Socrates 8486]

Juventus Manager Motta: “We’ll Need a Great Performance in the Return Leg”

 

 

Juventus manager Thiago Motta, shared his thoughts following the first leg of the Champions League playoff against PSV Eindhoven. The match, held at the Allianz Stadium, ended in a 2-1 victory for the Italian side, with goals from Weston McKennie and Samuel Mbangula, while Perisic scored for the Dutch team. ............

 

“We need to attack the area more often,” he said. “We often did it without enough force. Today we did a bit better.” He emphasized the importance of making runs into the box, stating that it’s a topic of daily discussion within the team.

 

Looking ahead to the second leg, Motta acknowledged the challenge posed by PSV. “PSV has a clear, offensive philosophy and a good coach,” he remarked. “We’ll need a great performance in the return leg.” ............

 

Reflecting on the team’s progress since their Champions League debut this season, Motta noted, “Many things have changed compared to our season opener in the Champions League.”

 

Addressing his role within the team, Motta said, “I’m the leader of this team. I stand at the front, and I need to improve first. I want the same things from all the players. Attitude is the foundation of this work; everything else comes after.” ............

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Read more -> https://www.footitalia.com/juventus-manager-motta-well-need-a-great-performance-in-the-return-leg/

[Socrates 8486]

Juventus 2 - PSV Eindhoven 1: Initial reaction and random observations

Juve get the edge in the first leg thanks to a late goal from Samuel Mbangula with less than 10 minutes to go.

 

 

 

By simple virtue of how this 2024-25 season has gone for Juventus, seeing them predicted to win — be it against somebody in the Champions League or a lower-table side in Serie A — is always going to be a bit a puzzling thought. ............

 

The way in which Juve got there Tuesday night against PSV Eindhoven certainly wasn’t to many our liking after Weston McKennie’s thunderbolt to open the scoring in the first half. But, after the reigning Dutch champions tied things up and then looked like the much better side after the scoreline was suddenly even, Juventus found just enough to get back in front and secure a slim lead in their favor to take with them to the Netherlands next week. It was thanks to Samuel Mbangula’s first-ever Champions League goal, an 82nd-minute strike after a bit of a scramble in the PSV box to give Juve a 2-1 victory at the Allianz.

 

With his game-winning goal against PSV, Mbangula became the youngest player to ever score in a UCL knockout round tie for Juventus. Not bad for a young Belgian kid who was playing in Serie C at this point of the season 12 months ago. ............

 

This UCL play-off round is very much about trying to survive to get to the next round where they will meet either Arsenal or Inter Milan. And they have a slim advantage in the back pocket as they prepare to meet PSV once again in eight days at their place.

 

This was a better Juventus than what we saw the last time they were on their home field in the Champions League. It was that performance against Benfica in which was the fear that it would be repeated again and would allow PSV to stroll into Turin, build an aggregate lead and be in great shape heading into the return leg in the Netherlands.

 

But it was also a Juventus that still clearly had its flaws.

 

They couldn’t take advantage of their bright start that saw them pinning PSV back for the opening 15 minutes. It was only after PSV started to really find their footing that McKennie was able to connect with that hammer of a shot with his right foot to put Juve in front. Then, as usual, it came down to how Juve would handle being in front — and, as we’ve almost come to expect, it didn’t go all that well. Neither did the subsequent time after the PSV goal in which Juve were really looking like they were going to fall behind.

 

Thankfully, that never happened.

 

And then, very much out of nowhere, Mbangula popped up in the box and put Juventus back in front.

Juventus were not great on the whole, but they did just enough Tuesday night to get past PSV. ............

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS

• That goal of McKennie sure was something. You just can’t strike a ball any better than that. Nobody had a chance of stopping that shot. There was just so much damn velocity on it that you have absolutely no chance of keeping it out of the goal. And guess what? It was almost like it went right through any sort of effort to stop the ball from PSV keeper Walter Benitez. ............
• Let’s not forget what Federico Gatti did on that goal to make it happen, too. Not all did a galloping run forward start the sequence in which McKennie scored on, but Gatti also kept the whole thing alive right before the ball came out to Wes as well. It was Gatti, a man who loves to get forward but doesn’t always execute well in the final third, having quite the impact quite far away from where he’s usually parked on the field.
• Gatti on the defensive end of the field was pretty damn solid, too. He was much happier to hold the UEFA man of the match award this time around as compared to a few weeks ago after the draw with Club Brugge.
• Is Renato Veiga getting better as he settles in at Juventus and alongside Gatti? Because that was his best game as a Juve player and he was just a solid presence at the back.
• Seeing Veiga celebrate a big block like he did in the second was pretty great, too. There’s just something about Juventus defenders who truly love to defend and want you to know it when they do something well. Plus, Veiga was 11-of-14 on the long balls he attempted, so the passing was pretty solid, too.

 

• Not as great? Lloyd Kelly getting absolutely turned around like he did on Ivan Perisic’s goal to tie things up. I understand that he is very much not a natural left back and there probably should have been some help there from somebody like Mbangula, but the individual defensive work from Kelly continues to leave a lot to be desired. ............
• Is something up with Khephren Thuram physically? Because I feel like the fact that he’s suddenly not starting on a regular basis is because of that rather than actual something to do with how he’s playing. He’s Juve’s best midfielder at the moment, and seeing him come off the bench in a big Champions League matchup like this was just felt a little off.
• That being said, Douglas Luiz was pretty solid agianst PSV. I’ll take it.
• Randal Kolo Muani didn’t score? What a terrible signing that now suddenly is. (Please pick up the sarcasm. The last thing I need is for somebody from Camp Kolo Muani to get mad.)
• Honestly, just glad Juventus didn’t toss the lead completely away. It was nothing like what we saw the first time around against PSV, but I don’t think anybody really expected that considering the current state of Juventus. They got the win, they’re up on aggregate, and now we get to see what they’ll do on Dutch soil next week.

Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2025/2/12/24363637/juventus-psv-eindhoven-2025-champions-league-playoff-round-final-score-result-initial-reaction

[Socrates 8486]

Juventus player ratings v PSV – Midfielder gets top mark

 

 

Michele De Gregorio – 7.0

 ............

Timothy Weah – 7.5

His pace caused PSV all kinds of problems when he bombed forward, and he defended well.

Federico Gatti – 7.5

A good night for the defender. He was solid at the back and earned an assist at the other end.

Renato Veiga – 7.0

He looks settled in the Juventus defence and will surely get better.

Lloyd Kelly – 6.5

He is settling in well, but he probably should not have made it so easy for Ivan Perišić to shoot and score.

Douglas Luiz – 7.5

One of Luiz’s best nights in Turin, as he combined well with the midfield to help Juve boss the game.

Manuel Locatelli – 7.0

 ............

Nicolás González – 7.5

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Weston McKennie – 8.0

Replaced Teun Koopmeiners behind the striker and delivered a terrific performance, including a stunning goal.

 

 

Kenan Yıldız – 6.0

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Randal Kolo Muani – 6.0

His goalscoring run came to an end as he did not contribute much.

 

Substitutes

 

Samuel Mbangula – 7.5

The definition of a super-sub tonight.

Francisco Conceição – 6.5

His darting run created the winning goal.

Khéphren Thuram – 6.0

 ............

Teun Koopmeiners – 6.0

Still not making the impact he was signed to make.

Dušan Vlahović – N/A

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Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-player-ratings-v-psv-midfielder-gets-top-mark/